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Overview Department of Earth Sciences in Sultan Qaboos University |
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The Department of Earth Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University is located within a region of world-class geology. It sits at the heart of the Middle East’s thriving oil and gas industry and provides graduates to this industry. Outcrops of the world-famous Oman ophiolite can be found within a five-minute drive from the department and staff within the department are actively involved in research into the origin of these rocks. The Department is also active in research and training to provide for the future water supply needs of the Sultanate. The Department of Earth Sciences was founded in 1987. It has grown rapidly and now has an academic staff of 16 and an additional 8 members of support staff. It currently teaches two degree programmes in Earth Sciences and Geophysics and admits 60 majors a year to these two programmes. The Department also offers post-graduate programmes in Earth Sciences. Students may study for an MSc degree in Earth Sciences (Hydrogeology) and in Earth Sciences (Carbonate Studies). This latter programme is being reconfigured and broadened to become a Masters in Petroleum Geoscience. There is also a PhD programme in Carbonate Studies, the first PhD Programme in the University, from which two students have graduated. Research in the Department is focused around four broad research themes · Igneous and Metamorphic Geology (+ Mineral deposits) · Sedimentology, Paleontology and Petroleum Geology · Geophysics and Tectonics · Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology. In support of these themes the department has close links with three research centres in the University. The Oil and Gas Centre hosts the Shell Professor of carbonate studies, John Warren who works closely with the Petroleum Geoscience team. The Directors of the University’s Remote Sensing Centre and the Earthquake Monitoring Centre also work closely with research groups within the department. The Department also has many international collaborations driven by joint research interests both in the Geology of Oman and beyond. |
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